During the next four weeks, White became a household name, rushing for more than 1,000 yards during that span to finish with more than 3,000 yards alongside 42 touchdowns and earn a spot on The Oklahoman's All-State team.

“Getting 3,000 yards is amazing to me,” he said. “I saw 3,000 because they said (Kingfisher running back Landon Nault) was going to get 3,000.”

Nault actually fell short of 3,000, finishing with 2,304 yards. White and Blanchard's Braden Stringer were the lone rushers to surpass 3,000 yards this season.

It was with those two running backs in Class 3A that White admits he was competing against each week.

Yes, he won the yardage battle, but he fell short in some other areas.

“Yeah, you can say that,” White said when asked if he competed with Nault and Stringer. “A battle that I wanted to win and I didn't. I wanted to be the No. 1 running back that won the state championship.”

However, White's totals were eye-popping for a running back who split time as a junior and totaled just 659 yards and seven touchdowns. He also returned kicks and punts, while also excelling as a defensive back with eight interceptions.

It was the kind of season that even impressed longtime coach Mike Snyder.

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Jacob Unruh is a graduate of Northeastern State University. He was born in Cherokee and raised near Vera where he attended Caney Valley High School.During his tenure at NSU, Unruh wrote for The Northeastern (NSU's student newspaper), the...